Emirates Airlines Stocks Its $500 Million Wine List From a French ‘Fort Knox’

January 19, 2017 5:00 am
Emirates Spent $500 Million on Its Wine List
(Courtesy of Emirates Airlines)
Emirates Spent $500 Million on Its Wine List
(Courtesy of Emirates Airlines)

 

Everything in Dubai is a mint—right down to its police cars. So it makes perfect sense that its airline, Emirates, would spend lavishly on small touches like its in-flight wine list.

According to Bloomberg, over a 12-year period, the airline has spent a staggering $500 million building out its wine list, which includes only the top vintages money can buy. And it’s constantly changing; the list is based on where the airline is flying and the quality of the wine. Annually, the airline serves some 300 vintages.

Where does an airline keep half a billion dollars worth of liquid gold? They own a series of unmarked warehouses in Burgundy, France, which Joost Heymeijer, a senior vice president of in-flight catering at the airline described to Bloomberg as “a Fort Knox–style facility.” Some 3.75 million bottles are stored there at a time until they’re ready to take flight.

Instead of using a sommelier, the airline also breaks the mold by dealing directly with winemakers and merchants through a deal it struck with Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI).

Read Bloomberg’s story here to learn more about Emirates’ incredible wine list.

—RealClearLife Staff

MEET US AT YOUR INBOX. FIRST ROUND'S ON US.

Join America's Fastest Growing Spirits Newsletter THE SPILL. Unlock all the reviews, recipes and revelry — and get 15% off award-winning La Tierra de Acre Mezcal.